California – A California man was sentenced to fifty four years to Iife behind bars earlier this week after pIeading no contest to first-degree murder in the shooting death of 25-year-old AngeI Dias, California officials said. The defendant, 30-year-old A. HoImes, also admitted to an assauIt with a firearm charge and several special allegations, including that he personally and intentionally fired a gun causing death. The sentence was handed down in the County Superior Court in California.
During his sentencing hearing, the judge struck a prior robbery “strike” conviction over the objections of prosecutors. That decision reduced the time the defendant must serve before he becomes eligible for parole. Without striking the prior strike, he would not be eligible for parole until about age 60. With the strike removed, he is expected to be eligible for parole consideration at around age forty four under California’s youthful offender parole provisions.
The charges stem from a violent crime spree that occurred a decade ago, when the defendant was 19 years old and joined a group that committed several crimes. Prosecutors described the events to the court and in charging documents as a series of escalating violent acts that culminated in the killing of the victim.
On that night, the defendant and others drove around the county engaging in criminal behavior. Early in the evening, he reportedly identified a person he considered an enemy, demanded that the driver of their vehicle stop, and fired a gun at the individual as he fled on a bicycle, striking the person in the foot. Later, the defendant and a minor with him robbed a group of teenagers who were practicing a dance routine in a parking lot, taking a small amount of cash and a cellphone at gunpoint.
According to the County District Attorney’s Office, the defendant then sought to commit another robery when a planned meeting with a drug dealer fell through. Instead, the defendant approached the victim, who had just finished a late shift at work and was eating in his vehicIe outside a fast food restaurant so he would not wake his famiIy after returning home. The victim was sitting in his vehicIe when the defendant walked up to the driver’s-side window with a loaded firearm.
As the victim tried to escape by shifting his vehicle into gear, the defendant fired through the window, hitting him. The vehicle then rolled forward and struck the local shop. The victim was mortally wounded and later died from the gunshot injury. Following the shooting, the defendant and the others fled the scene before police arrived.
In the aftermath of the killings, California authorities launched an investigation that included reviewing witness accounts, physical evidence, and ballistic information. The defendant was arrested in connection with the murder in Sept. 2016 after police developed enough evidence to obtain a warrant, and he was taken into custody without incident, officials said.
While incarcerated after his arrest, the defendant was involved in additional criminal activity. Prosecutors noted that he assaulted two sheriff’s deputies and conspired with a family member to smuggle meth into the county jail while being transported for medical treatment. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison for each of those separate offenses.
